Cole Swindell's country road to success

At first glance it looks like an overnight Nashville success story: Cole Swindell gets a record deal and within a year has a No. 1 country hit with "Chillin' It."

In reality, the singer spent seven years in Music City following the same path of other aspiring hit-makers by pitching his songs and trying to get the attention of record labels.

For Swindell it began as a student at Georgia Southern University, playing country cover songs in local bars. Georgia Southern also happens to be the alma mater of the guy with whom he's currently touring: Luke Bryan.

Swindell discussed his connection to Bryan and his desire to stay ahead of the trends in pop country.

Did witnessing Luke's success prepare you for yours?

I'd like to say yeah. I don't know if you're ever prepared for this kind of stuff. I got to travel the country selling merch for Luke right when I moved to town. I've been on the road. I've been around the business a little bit. But the things didn't happen for Luke like they're happening for me. It's all different for everybody.

If this would have happened when I moved to Nashville there's no way I would have been ready, but giving it a couple of years with me being around the business, growing up a little bit, that helped me get ready for everything that's happened. There's a lot of pressure on me. There's a lot of people expecting things out of me. I want to do good. It's a good kind of pressure.

That's art versus commerce.

Oh, I know. It's all about how are you selling. How much is the single selling the album. It is about numbers. You're trying just to make music and want to make the music you want to make. Right now, fortunately, the kind of music I love to make, the fans right now are into, and I hope it continues to be like that.

You never know in this business. Things are going great right now, but I just want to enjoy it. I want my band and my team to enjoy it, because you never know when the next new thing is coming through.

You just have to keep putting out great music. That's my main goal, to put out great music and keep playing live shows, working my butt off.

You're talking about what's hot now. People are calling it bro country. Do you like when that label is applied to your music?

They can call it whatever they want, but the thing is with me, all these songs that talk about trucks, dirt roads and beer, well, if you didn't grow up in Bronwood, Georgia ... that's not a bunch of crap. That's what we know, what we grew up doing. I get it. I grew up on '90s country. There were story songs and real touching songs along with some party songs.

It's definitely shifted but I'm just trying to help out the genre of country music. If I can bring extra fans to our format and get them looking up old Brooks and Dunn songs, I think it's all good. People are entitled to their own opinion. I'm not here to bash anybody else's music. They can call it whatever they want.

Do you think that the style is too prevalent? Is there enough variety?

I think this is a variety of country music. I understand that it's changed a little, but if you look back over the past 40 years country music has continually changed. It may not sound like this in three years, you know? I just want to keep writing songs that I love with the sounds that I like.

Do you even think about what the next trend in three years might be?

Oh, yeah. I think you have to stay ahead of the game. Unless you're there when the things are kind of changing, it's hard to catch up. I'm always listening to new stuff and just wanting to do something a little different whether it's the way I say things or the way it sounds, whatever. I'm just now starting back to writing. I'm always thinking about the second album. ■